Inside A Book
by FairyLetters
Summary: In which Sakura Haruno finds herself trapped inside a fairytale book. The only way to get out? Play the role of MC, overcome obstacles and clear levels. But the problem? Unplayable characters are the people back from her reality. Yes, including her many love interests. Multisaku, Sakura-centric, AU
1. Prologue

Her jade eyes trained on the shop before her. She couldn't be the only one to notice the strangeness of the shop. When her eyes accessed her surroundings, she had to bit back a sigh. Apparently, she was the only one. Those who did glance in the direction of the shop were looking past it as though it didn't exist.

Returning her stare back to the shop, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. It was wedged between two towering building, squeezed as if the neighbors were closing in. The signboard was seedy, some old letters had become illegible in the peeling paint but you could make some letters: _A...t...er...e...s._ It looked ages old. However, the window looked clean, giving a good view of artifacts on display.

 _Antiques,_ she thought as she leafed through the items- it was like a medley of different cultures and ancient trends. No theme, no color-coordination; yet the items were artistically arranged. She eyed the book bound in inky leather, full of cracks and trampled corners that suggested its old age. The headline stood out in silver, but in a language that she couldn't comprehend. Complex, and otherworldly.

The 16 years old medic was sure that this shop wasn't here before. She always took this route when returning from her shift at the hospital. It was a shortcut to reach her house. She had crossed the same street yesterday after the completion of her mission in Suna, but this strange shop never had been there before.

In fact, she could chance that it came into existence overnight. Tired or not, she was not one to miss on details. The training she received from her mentor, the one of the great sannin, Tsunade Senju, taught her that.

Strange. The shop had an air of mystery to it.

Especially with that golden _Maneki-Neko_ perched on the middle of the shelf, sticking out from other artifacts like a sore thumb. The blackness of its eyes bored into hers; as though the doll was really looking at her.

She never was a fan of dolls. A cat figurine doesn't make it any less creepy, especially not with a beckoning paw. She actually felt tempted to enter the strange shop.

"I don't think anything else can make this shop creepier," Sakura muttered, her eyes never straying from the figurine.

She had to will herself to turn away from the shop and when she did, she felt a pull. She didn't look at the cat when she stepped forward, fully intended to continue her way to her house and retire for the day. But she didn't need to look at the cat to know that the power it was having over her.

Something in the back of her mind was itching her to go in. An annoying, distorted voice that was unlike inner Sakura's.

'Co...me...in...sa...ku...r...a...' it was impossible for Sakura to hold back her shudder.

"What the fuck?" Her whisper was small and inaudible to all but her. Aghast drove through her veins at how scared she sounded. It was like something from a horror movie, it was happening in her mind and she was hearing it in her ears as though words were being whispered to her.

Then she blinked.

"Woah!" She jumped away from the wooden door, landing a meter or so away from the shop. Heart thudded loudly against her chest, her erratic heartbeats played deafeningly loud in her ears. Shit was happening with her.

"How did I...?"

"Welcome to Afterlives, child," the door cracked open revealing an old lady. At her age, she should have been a foot in the grave. The lines around her eyes sagged and looked heavy when she smiled at the sight of her.

"Um...I...I wasn't..." she didn't want to enter. Not this shop, never this shop.

"Ah, you looked like you were about to," her voice was slow and measured, but shrilly at the edges. Sakura flinched and averted her eyes from meeting the women's grey.

"I...I was, then I remembered I have things to do...I'm sorry, some other day, maybe..." Sakura quickly made up an excuse and turned when the old women chuckled.

"One look wouldn't hurt, dear. Afterlives wouldn't cost you for a mere visit, I promise."

That moment Sakura made two mistakes. One, to look in the old lady's eyes. Two, to glance at the annoying cat who was still looking ahead but yet looking at her.

"uh..." she couldn't bring herself to deny her invitation as much as she wanted to.

"Please dear, be our guest..." She sounded so welcoming, warm...and...

Sakura found her resolve collapse when the women with white hair - or lack of thereof - opened the door for her.

'c...om...e...d...e...ar...' something urged her in her mind. Sakura decided to ignore the voice. It wasn't the first time she was hearing annoying voices only she could hear.

The bell chimed overhead when she entered through the door. Her eyes frisk over to the door over her shoulder when it closed shut behind her. She could smell the mellow aroma of oak in the room, along with the assortment of oils that mixed in the air. It harnessed a soothing excitement that she felt to her bones.

But she needed to stay on her guard. She has experienced oddities since her eyes fell on this shop. Now that she was in it, who knows what wouldn't happen.

"Feel free to browse my treasures. I hope you'll find one to your liking, dear." Sakura startled at the sound. She almost forgot about the old women who could be the reason behind everything she was experiencing. After all, this 'Afterlives' was owned by her. At the desk, behind the counter, sat the said women who beamed happily, her small face reducing to the maze of wrinkles that began from nowhere and ended nowhere.

"O-Of course mam..." with that, the pink-haired teen hurried to take refuge behind the towering shelves that shielded her from the grey eyes.

Sakura rested her back against one of the shelves when she crossed good distance away from the entrance. A sigh left her pale, pink lips. She would take a look at a few things here and leave the place without a second glance.

 _I guess taking a detour doesn't sound half-bad_ , she mused to herself with pursed lips.

Antiques crowded as much as little space as it was possible. The low ceiling of the shop was packed with scrolls, hanging lamps, and chandeliers that add to the oddness in the store because of the lack of coordination. It felt stuffy and suffocating, more so with the scent of different flavors in the air. It was almost nauseating, now that she stood further in the shop.

"It should cost a fortune," she ran her hand over the gold edges of the mirror, feeling the ornate carvings that almost seemed to tell the maker's emotions. At the crown of the oblong mirror, also in gold, was a humanoid face bearing a crown, a queen perhaps? "how pretty."

The mirror though was tarnished, either it had been polished a few times too many, or maybe that's just what happened with age.

She was almost at the end of the store. This part of the shop was mostly darkness and sheen of metal from the minimal light. It took her a while to adjust her sight in the darkness. She knew she could always go to the front desk and ask the old lady to turn some light on.

 _But I'd rather not see her again...no matter her bright smiles and warm eyes_ , she chose inwardly for herself.

Step. Step. Step. Her footsteps were all that was clear in the room. It elicited a strange buzz in her chest, like a siren call. As if on cue, she heard a siren call.

'c...om...e...t...o...m...e...'

and then her eyes caught the sight of 'them' some distance away from her. Some hundred or so, stacked in neat rows, aligned spine to spine hiding the impression of their torn, yellowed pages from the world. But it made them all more enticing, especially to bibliophiles like her who grabbed and read anything and everything.

"Finally a gem in the sea of rocks," it wasn't like other items weren't precious, although, to her, they were pretty useless. A smile boomed in her lips.

However, when she neared it, her smile waned. She hadn't expected all the dust brimming over them. It looked like the books hadn't been touched for a decade, maybe more.

 _That explains the darkness_ , she thought grimly.

She drummed her fingers over the spine of each book, eyes readily drinking the sight of their respective titles.

'Tak...e...me...Saku...ra,' she backtracked and stopped at the book where she thought the voice was more pronounced. 'I...was...waiting...for you...'

"Ah ha! It was you..." Sakura gritted her teeth in irritation. And here she thought the shop was haunted. "What are you?"

'...I...Open...me...I...will...show...you...'

"Ah, you take me for a fool, no? As if I'd release you from you confine, you evil spirit," the teen was clearly enjoying the power she had over the book. Whoever this spirit was, she couldn't force her to read the book.

'...ptff...evil...spirit...yea...you're...clearly... a fool,' Sakura pulled at the book, ignoring her taunt. Her lips pulled into a frown when she noticed the dust covering the vast of its cover. The book looked pretty heavy, but it felt feather light to her.

"I'm not the one who's trapped in a stupid book," she snorted when her eyes leafed through across the words. 'The Land of Tales', the title read in gold. The cover was bound in vermilion leather, texture dried and cracked through and through as she felt it under the pads of her fingers. Shrugging, she went in search for a stand to settle the heavy book. A coffee table.

She dusted her hands off the dirt when she placed the book over it.

Sakura noticed the voice was no longer talking to her. Was this not the right book? Her face contorted in confusion. She gazed fixedly at the book, as though she was trying to peer into its contents.

"...you know that I don't care if you ignore me right?" Sakura was used to talking to herself, well, to inner Sakura. If someone stumbles into her right now, they would take for a retard without a doubt. No one knew of the existence of another soul in her body. "I'm used to hearing voices in my head."

Although it has been a while since she last heard from her roomie.

'...' silence. Her jade eyes crossed in exasperation. She raised a hand to massage the spot between her brows. Maybe she grew tired of her and decided to find another victim, or maybe she realized she wasn't going to have much effect on her so she left her mind.

Sakura shifted from one foot to another. Which one was it?

She was going to lose herself in internal deliberations when words on the book caught her interest. Tilting her head in question, she read it over.

 **'Experience the world of folklore and fairy tales as your own. Enter the land of tales and let the guardian angel, Shina, lead you on this magical journey where you, the MC, relish the adventures and romances with the familiar faces you meet along the way.** '

"Is this a reader insert story or something? I have read tons before...until I decided that I hate them," Sakura pondered to herself absently. A grave expression took on her face when she re-read the lines. It looked interesting, should she risk reading it?

"If I can bear reading Kakashi's Icha Icha, this one should be a child's play," she smirked to herself. Carefully holding the book to her chest, she leaned against the shelf. She might as well make herself comfortable if she was going to be reading some stupid children book.

Cradling the red book in her left arm, she let her eyes skim across its cover. Up close, she could smell it warm and dusty, like the inside of an attic. Smiling, she opened the aged book. The fragile old pages became delicate snowflakes with the touch of her hand. She had enough time to regard the blankness of the page before it faded into blobs of gold in the air.

"What the hell?" she absorbed the moment, almost in a trance, and those gravity-defying golden crystals were the last thing Sakura saw before a flash of the whitest light enveloped her.

Next moment, Sakura found herself in middle of the great expanse of white, in the company of a child who was smiling at her. It was an 'I-won-you-lose' kind of smile.

"I was getting tired of waiting, Sakura Haruno."

If she wasn't wrong, it was the same voice she heard in her mind.

* * *

 **AN:** Weekly updates! There will be a maximum of 12 chapters. This is about Sakura who gets tricked into entering a fairytale book. Literally. This is a sakura-centric, reverse harem. Next Chapter will feature our first couple.

Leave me your opinions in comments. Which couple do you wish to see first?

Stay tuned for the next chapter.


	2. Chapter 1

_Live like there's no midnight_

-Cinderella

* * *

White.

The emerald eyes gazed up at the achromatism of the sky. Everywhere she turned and looked, only the expanse of colorlessness stretched as far as distance obscured. White sky. White ground. White everything.

She was caught in the world of white. Her automatic response was to form a hand sign.

"Kai," she uttered.

Confusion plowed her brow. Illusion didn't break. Could it be that she was trapped in a high-level genjutsu? She couldn't see an opening too.

"I was getting tired of waiting, Sakura Haruno," a voice said. It was the same voice she heard in her mind; before it had been whispery and distorted, now it seemed clear and young. She glanced to her right.

There stood a little girl, facing her with a bright, triumph grin on her childish face.

 _Trapped with a kid_... she mentally corrected. Sakura was not tall like Ino was, but this kid could hardly make it to her waist. She could only pass for an academy student.

The medic studied the kid with a piercing scrutiny. Her eyes narrowed in skepticism.

However, this child was the one to cast this complex genjutsu: one even she couldn't break through. Genjutsu wasn't Sakura's expertise, but she considered to be pretty good at sensing and breaking herself from clutches of illusory techniques.

Her snowy white, unconquered curls sprang loose to the small of her back. Her eyes-so striking and bright-were electric blue. Her skin looked dusky and scarred with strange purple tattoos 'shackling' her slender arms. Her attire, simple with only a white sundress, blended her in the background. If it wasn't for her skin and eyes, her camouflage was perfect.

"You're the one behind this," Sakura said this with a deadpan look on her face. The girl's smile widened and she crossed her arms over her chest. Pride brimming her eyes.

Sakura nodded mutely, contemplating her body language. The white-haired girl looked pretty relaxed (and young) for an enemy (if she was one) and she didn't appear to be looking for a fight either.

While it was a good news...

Green eyes sagged disappointedly. She didn't expect a kid of all things. Maybe an evil spirit or a god.

"For a kid, you are quite capable." Sakura acknowledged with an 'I-find-it-hard-to-digest' look. Her emerald eyes watched on as the little girl's body trembled at her words. Her blue eyes were screened behind the veil of her snowy bangs.

"...At least I don't stand out like cotton candy." Her reply came late but when it did, Sakura gasped incredulously. Placing a hand over her hair protectively, she threw a sour look at the girl. This girl had no idea who she was talking with.

But then again, so didn't she. If the girl's powers were anything to go by, she was unlike others she'd ever met. Wherever she was, her only escape key was this kid. Sakura mentally willed herself to stay calm.

Exhaling through her nose, she tried to flush out her malevolent feelings for the kid.

"Okay...How about you tell me who you are and where this place is?" the pink-haired medic tried it polite and stoic with her. She had no intentions of befriending or defriending the little one. The girl understood her intentions and smirked triumphantly.

 _I can always kill this brat later_ , Sakura noted to herself.

The girl chuckled mysteriously, never prying her eyes off her emerald ones. Suddenly, with a light hop of her feet, Sakura watched as the girl began to float.

'A Kekkai Genkai?' her eyes widened in amazement when she floated about the air effortlessly as though she was dancing. Sakura reached out a hand to touch her when the girl spoke, her dazzling eyes leveling a look in her own greens.

"I'm the spirit of this book. A protector, you can say. My name is Shina," she revealed.

'No wonder she looks cool like that,' Sakura thought reluctantly. She shouldn't feel impressed with her. A spirit. Breaking their eye-contact, her emerald eyes turned heavenwards in wonder.

Shina, it connected the dots. She remembered reading that name on the cover of 'Land of lost tales'. That means...Jade eyes widened in realization, she was inside a fucking book.

 _That explains why it was so...clear in here_ , she surveyed her surroundings. The book turned blank when she opened it.

"You're the guardian," a nod.

"Okay...and I'm here because...?" Sakura stressed expectantly, gesticulating Shina to explain.

"Because I was bored." To Shina, Sakura was like an angel descendent from heaven. Not literally.

"You what?" Her jade eyes lowered disbelievingly. Shino noticed the slack-jawed expression on her heart-shaped face.

"Well, I've been alone for more than a decade now... I felt your presence so I called you. I was... I was lonely." She lowered herself to stand on her feet. Shoulders sagging, eyes downcast, she bit her lips.

She was trying to bait a bleeding heart that was Sakura. It was times like this when her childlike appearance helps.

"I...I..." Sakura was gathering her words when Shina looked at her with lonely eyes. Something flashed in her mind, a face. Those eyes, she could tell them anywhere. "I'm so not gonna fall for that, brat."

"What? you think I'd joke over something like this? you're so cruel..." Shina gave her a long, hurt look as if to test her defiance. Sakura returned her look with stony eyes.

Time rolled on but she saw no change in her countenance. Then she sighed, breaking their eye contact.

"That sucks...I thought I had perfected it..." The blue-eyed girl mumbled quietly to herself, grimace on her small face. However, Sakura who heard it loud and clear resisted beating the daylights out of the spirit.

Why weren't her shinobi senses reacting to this weirdo? Sakura thought grimly.

"How do you know my name?" Sakura didn't like the smile she sported.

"I know more than you give me credit for," Shina winked and turned. "I wouldn't tell you though."

"Why? I deserve to know, you've held me captive here." Sakura was forced to walk when Shina began to fly off somewhere, deliberately slow.

"Not really, anyone who'd have opened that book would have ended up here." Shina shrugged without facing the girl. "I'm a guardian angel. I can only lure people...and trick them."

Translation: It was Sakura's own damn fault.

The pink-haired girl didn't have to look to know that she was smirking. Every word, movement, and breath Shina performed seemed infuriating to her to no end.

"Fine. How do I get out of here?" Promptly the guardian crossed one leg over the other and leaned back as if to relax. Sakura stopped a foot behind her, not understanding where the shit was going.

 _If she makes up another story, she's going to taste my fists,_ the medic decided, studying the floating girl with piercing scrutiny. She was taking more time than should be required to answer such question.

"How about I show you?" The white-haired spirit offered, her voice velvety and effervescent. Pink brows knitted in a frown when Sakura parted her lips to ask what she meant, but her words died on her throat when the silver-haired girl continued, "Hint: figure out the tale and be in your character. Not all tales really are as they are told, so don't mess up."

With that, she glanced back at the stunned teen and flashed a 'make-me-happy' smile.

A beat later silver-haired girl disappeared into flecks of gold; just as the words had vanished into the air.

Sakura had her mouth gaped open when she distinctly heard a click of fingers from somewhere. Bewilderment coursed through her veins as she watched illusion disrupt around her.

The white landscape dissolved into a darkness where she wasn't sure if she had eyes.

* * *

When Sakura began to regain her sight, she only saw blotches of colors; lots of browns and violets. It started slow and agonizing. Her eyes felt violated, even the little light pricked and gnashed at her sensitive orbs in a way that made her think she was experiencing eye-rape.

Soon her vision cleared and she found herself in a dingy room. It looked like an attic. It was roomy; the ceiling was low, and the windows had thick panes; the walls and floors were built of heavy timber. The room was as cold as ice, mostly because it was empty aside from a bed that sat at the corner and bunch of boxes that piled the other side. As she took a step forward, the floorboards creaked, indicating its old age. There was dimness in the room; she bumped into something, a box. When she peered into its contents, she saw clothes.

Next, she glanced down at her own and grimaced. She was wearing rags with loose stitches at her side and at the hem. Was she a maid?

"Well, well...could it be my room?" she guessed aloud, displeasure in her eyes. Only silence replied back until it broke by a chime. The old father clock in the corner of the room, beside the window, signaled the midnight.

"Where the fuck am I?"

She walked over to the small window and wiped the slight dust away for a better view. She was on the third floor of the mansion. Even as the night had spread its blanket over the world, she was able to make out the landscape under the moonlight. Her gaze prolonged at the fountain and the angel statue that sat on the pedestal. It looked like it was made of marble.

'That looks expensive. Her master is rich, eh...' she wondered inwardly. Throwing one last look at the outside world, she turned away and decided to check out other rooms of the building. It would be a waste otherwise, moreover, she needed to know what role she was playing.

"What's a better time than now for observation? No one will ever know," she gently pushed the door back by her hip. It closed with a loud, squeaky noise. Sakura cursed and held her breath. She hoped it didn't wake up anyone.

She peered in the dark, there was not a bit source of light; only pitch darkness. With her shinobi senses dead, she had no choice but to rely on her natural instincts. She moved her arms in hopes to find the hands sill as she cautiously took a step forward. There got to be a staircase around here somewhere.

"Ah Ha!" she cheered when her hands touched a familiar beam. Soon she found the staircase leading down. The rest of the journey to the ground floor was simple. Just because she had lost her chakra enhanced sight and power, she wasn't useless. She relied on her logic and darkness hardly bothered her.

The corridor was lit with candles; some extinguished and others full of life. But it was enough to see details in the room. She wasn't wearing socks so she managed to keep silence in her steps.

She passed by the arrays of photo frames. Paintings, one prettier than the other, looked realistic. She wondered if someone from the household painted it themselves when she touched the fabric on which painting had been done. It was the painting of a mansion.

 _Maybe it is this house?_ she eyed the fountain that was drawn in the picture. It resembled one she was from her window.

She was never interested in art so she only took a gander at the pictures lazily until one particular picture a little ahead in the corridor caught her eye. Quickening her pace, she approached with an inquisitive look.

It was a portrait of a family. A man, woman, and their child.

 _She's so beautiful_ , Sakura couldn't help but gape when she noticed the man beside the beautiful woman. She couldn't recognize the red-haired woman but the man...

"Kakashi? he's the owner?..." She trailed off, there was only question in her voice. She didn't know why the silver-haired man was part of this tale, whatever-tale-this-is. She raked her eyes down the picture and couldn't help a crooked grin; he looked like an aristocrat. That wasn't like him at all.

"Interesting." The pink-haired girl giggled.

When she glanced at the baby held close by the woman, her giggle hung at her throat. No way, it was clearly her, with the bright, verdant eyes that she was so proud of.

A woman she didn't recognize, a man who was her teacher but apparently her father in this world, and she their offspring; all three of them dressed like nobles.

Then what had led her into living a life in the attic? Or a better question, in which story does the MC degrades from the heir to servant?

"I never read fairytales all that much...but I guess it is snow white?" Was she the snow white? She glanced at the window as she passed by it. Her image reflected back; Her long pink hair was braided but looked unkempt and rough at edges. Her brown colored dress was dirty and torn in places.

She wasn't the definition of snow white at all.

"Daughter of the head to a maid... will I get a happy ending?" she entertained the idea in her mind with a pout on her lips.

"You will, Sakura. If you return to your quarters." Her body froze when a cold voice spoke from behind her. How could she forget? She was supposed to be quiet, not talking to herself aloud at the dead of the night! Obviously, someone would come to locate the sound.

 _Crap...I'm so done... stupid sakura!_ she mentally rebuked herself. Slowly she turned to the source of the voice. When she looked at the newcomer who was holding up the candle and looking at her with dispassionate green eyes, Sakura felt life return to her.

She felt like she was home.

"Oh, it's just you..." she mumbled to herself inaudibly, released a sigh and smiled. Mebuki's eyes, resembling her own, met her with an assessing look. Her dark blonde hair looked trimmed and proper even at this time of the night. She looked rich, just as she was.

But who was she in this story?

"What are you doing here at this time?" she tipped her head at her. There was a characteristic frigidness in her voice that was unlike the women she knew. She sounded distant and smelled of hate.

"Uh...I was..." Sakura gaped, not knowing what to say. Her eyes, helter-skelter, looked everywhere but at the women. Gulping, she decided to go with the most basic response. "I...I kinda lost my way to the kitchen. I was feeling thirsty,"

Mebuki didn't seem to buy her excuse and honestly, even she wouldn't if it had been her in the older woman's place.

"And since I lost way, I just..." Sakura gesticulated at the photo frame. Mebuki glanced back at the portraiture of Sakura's family and then the one the younger women was motioning. From what she could make it, it was a landscape of hills.

"It's down the hall to your right." Sakura blinked owlishly at her words and then flinched back when Mebuki took a step forward and leveled a glowering look.

"And next time I catch you playing around, I wouldn't be as nice. Now leave." Her words rang in the air with a sinister promise. It didn't sit well with the pink-haired girl.

"I...of course," she faltered when the woman passed a glare and turned away, walking away.

Sakura, too, took off to the kitchen, suddenly thirst getting better of her.

* * *

"Sakura! get your ass out here right now!" the continuous banging at her room started her out of her slumber.

"urgh...I didn't know it was this irritating for Cinderella every day," the pink-haired maid grumbled irritatedly, raising her head from her hard pillow begrudgingly to glare at the door. Or what was behind the door.

"Coming!" she shouted back.

"You better not make us wait, we have a ball to attend unlike you," came an order. She was used to the voice bossing her around for years so it didn't feel strange to her.

It was the third day of her stay at the foreign place and she learned many things. One, her real mother was her step-mother in this world. Two, Ino was one of her step-sisters. There was one more girl that she didn't recognize. Three, her red-haired mother died, and her dad, Kakashi, married her real mother and had Ino and Karin. But when she was 12, Kakashi died too and that dropped her to become a slave at her own house.

Her step-family didn't like her all that much, especially not her greed-ridden mother, Mebuki Hatake.

While it came off as a big shock to her initially, she reassured herself that it was only a play. One, she guessed she will need to complete to leave the horrid book. With the knowledge that she was playing the role of Cinderella, she was confident that she will easily crack the fairy tale.

"...and if all goes well, I will leave for the ball tonight." Sakura nodded to herself, faith in her voice. Tonight would be the fateful night where she'd meet her prince charming and fall in love.

'Who'd fit the role of prince charming other than Sasuke-kun?' Sakura felt heat rise to her cheeks when a picture popped in her mind, of him dressed in royal

With that, she began to get dressed for the day and left her chambers.

"How can I help you, Ino?" her green eyes lowered disinterestedly as she watched the siblings fight among each other over the beautiful, silk dress. At first, it was amusing to watch her sisters play cat-fight over silly things; Ino's distraught expression especially entertained her as the other girl, Karin, being the older of the two, always gained the upper hand in the fight.

Her offer fell on deaf ears.

"Let go, I saw it first!"

"Shut up, pig! I will look better in that dress, it's mine!"

"No! mine, its color complements my eyes, you take that red one!"

"You go for red, it's sexy color after all!"

"If you think so, then take that, shithead! leave this to me!"

"No, I will have it! get your hands off it!"

"Karin!"

"Ino!"

The siblings glared at each other with murder in their eyes. Sakura sighed, already knowing how it will end when she felt a presence behind her.

"Ino, let Karin have it. Red will suit you beautifully, I brought it thinking of you." Mebuki's commanding voice boomed in the room, successfully silencing the bickering girls.

"B-But!" Ino began to protest but sharp, green eyes stopped her from uttering one more word. Mebuki was scary when she wanted to be.

"Sakura, prepare tea for us. You know what day it is," when green flinty rocks turned to her, she felt her body freeze. She could recall her first night at the mansion, Mebuki hated her but she never voiced it. It was obvious in her actions.

"Jasmine," she remembered. The older women nodded inattentively.

"Try to only concentrate on your job. Can't have another teacup to go to waste," the woman had thrown the teacup at her face (which she dodged) the other day; it broke into million irreparable shards of porcelain. It happened she refilled her cup anew because it was too watery.

Green tea was her forte, and they insulted her tea-making at her face. That moment, she wanted to murder the family.

"Yes, mother," she said and left the room without another word.

"I wonder if poisoning them will ruin the story?" she wondered aloud when she was out of the earshot from the three women.

Whenever she would talk to herself, she half expected the guardian spirit to intervene with something offensive sounding. It appeared like she was gone and she was on her own. Wasn't she the one who was desperate for entertainment?

That reminded her, exactly how old Shina was?

* * *

"Can't I come too?" Sakura asked obligatorily. She knew the absurdness of her request, but if memory served her right, Cinderella had begged her step-mother to take her with them to the ball. They had agreed and betrayed her at the final moment.

If she were to be in her role, she might as well play along.

"You to the ball?" Ino was the first one to react. Sakura turned from stoic Mebuki to the blonde-haired woman. She had to admit, Ino looked like a princess. Her stepsisters should have been ugly but before them, Sakura felt inferior. Should MC feel second-rate to her enemies?

Dressed in red carpet gown that accentuated her curves and platinum locks tied in an elegant bun, Ino rocked the look. Beside her ex-best friend, Karin wore the blue dress that brought out the color of her hair. She looked royal in more ways than one.

"Have you looked at yourself?" Karin smirked, eyes shone brightly in the gleam of deviltry.

Glancing down at her own self, Sakura grimaced at the filthy peach dress that stopped at her knees. She looked worse than a beggar, but it was all she had. The pink-haired girl resisted glaring at her mother.

"There's still time before the ball begins! I can get ready in a minute," she insisted firmly, not wanting to be cast aside. According to the notice from the king, all maidens must participate in the ball. They didn't show her, Sakura sneaked a peek when they were busy with their makeup.

"Sakura, do you even have something nice to wear?" Mebuki inquired with a concealed facade. But Sakura knew better, she could imagine gears in her head turning to find ways to keep her busy at home. Sakura accepted the challenge.

"I don't but the invitation didn't say anything about a good dress. All maidens should come," Mebuki's eyes narrowed.

"How do you know about the card?" Karin demanded.

"I heard women talking about it in the market. I asked them for details," Sakura lied smoothly, her face not deceiving any emotion but innocence.

"Regardless, it would be like dishonoring the royals if you turn up there looking like a peasant," Mebuki reasoned, her pointed nose up in the air. The air of finality filled the air, but Sakura held her ground.

"Can't my dear sisters here share one of their old dresses?" Sakura knew Ino loved her outfits dearly. Her room was the biggest in the mansion, most of its space consumed by the wardrobes. "I'm sure Ino has plenty,"

Ino looked flabbergasted at the implication. Sakura knew she'd shook her head which she did.

"Why should I be the one to give up my treasures to you!? Karin, being the oldest, give her one of your own." Ino turned to Karin and tipped her head at expectant Sakura. The red-haired woman looked back and forth between the two and scowled.

"No way in hell! Unlike you, I don't collect rags in my room. You give her one of your own,"

"I have chest unlike you. Yours will fit her right!"

Karin gasped and glanced at Sakura's chest. Ino was right.

"How dare you!" Karin growled when Ino leveled a crudely insulting stare at her.

For another time of the day, the siblings began quarreling. Sakura didn't know if she should feel surprised that Mebuki didn't order them against providing her any. But she knew that the older woman would take this excuse to keep at her home.

Sakura smiled a self-criticizing smile when a hand rested on her shoulder.

"See, they aren't ready to give you theirs. We'd love to take you along, but circumstances aren't favorable at the moment." Mebuki sympathized. She sounded like her mother back at her home, but she was being all but. The mother she knew and loved was dead in this world, in her corpse resided the soul of a tyrant.

"I understand," she gave in.

"Bye! we'll enjoy the share of your food as well, don't feel bad," Karin chuckled when she passed by the still form of the pink-haired girl. "Prince wouldn't have chosen you in the first place anyway."

"My room is messy, clean it up while you're at it. I want it clean tomorrow," Ino left with a glowering look. Her glacial blue eyes looked mocking.

"Sakura, have a good night." Mebuki was the last one to leave; when she did, only her hypocritical greeting echoed in her ears.

Sakura vaguely heard the front door shutting behind the three. Their animated chattering diminishing as the distance grew between them as they entered the carriage of their own.

It was going to be a long night for Sakura. A chuckle left her lips, echoing eerily, breaking the silence that took place in the mansion.

"Good night? oh yes," she brushed her bangs away from her face and whirled around to the door. "Its time to have a night out."

Sakura's smile was one of gaiety that complemented the gleam of victory in her beautiful, verdant eyes.

* * *

She waited and waited but no one came. It was going to be through 9; signaled by the clock in the living room, but there was yet to be any sign of any fairy.

Sakura whined impatiently when she heard another one of the carriages taking off to the castle.

The royal building, she could see from the garden, stood proud and high in the hills. The palace from a distance looked to be made entirely of ice, but she knew better. The path to the palace was lit up in golden string lights. Everything about tonight seemed dazzling and spirited from here.

Alas! she was still stuck within the confines of her building. Sakura needed to get out and make the prince fall for her. But how would she do that if not with a beautiful gown that will put everyone else's to shame?

"Man...this sucks...what should I do now?" She slumped the bench in defeat. Sakura was tired from all the work she was made to do all day so when a yawn left her, so did her tears.

Silence became overwhelming and it lured her to sleep when a voice chirped in to jolt her out of her nap.

"Finally my role!" Her head snapped up and she found herself on the ground; eyes wide, heartbeat erratic and perspiration lining her forehead.

"S-Shina!" Sakura uttered in surprise. She didn't expect to see the spirit of all people. Maybe Naruto, he could pass for a fairy godfather. "What are you doing here?"

Shina shot her a disgusted glance when she drank in the sight of her. The medic didn't want to be told that she looked revolting even if she was. Sakura grimaced when Shina took a seat on the concrete bench, legs crossed and fingers intertwined over one knee. She leaned forward and met her scrutinizing gaze on the ground. The spirit looked same as she saw her before; as though she just directly transported to here.

"Why am I here? I'm your fairy godmother, sweet. You cried for me, you need me." Her overbearing giggle fuelled irritation in the shocked looking girl. That was the exact reason why she hated the little brat; she thought she was the superior one out of the two.

 _even if she kinda was, I don't have to like it..._ Sakura admitted begrudgingly, recollecting her predicament. She stood up on her feet.

"I wasn't crying for you," the green-eyed girl deadpanned. Wordlessly, Shina threw her a contemptuous look before reverting back to her persona of the fairy.

"My child, tell me your worries and I will clear them away with a flair of my great wand," the silver-haired spirit-now fairy- brandished a golden wand. Sakura had seen the impressions on the wand, back in the shop, on the edges of the vanity.

"Out of two of us, the only who resembles a child is you," Cinderella-of-the-story snorted at the irony.

Her azure eyes lowered to a flat stare at her comment. "I'm over 400 hundred human years old, Haruno."

"Are you?" Sakura dragged her hawkish gaze down at the little girl.

"My appearance has nothing to do with my age, it's just my wish." A frown marred her visage.

"This is not how you really look?" a nod.

"In that case, no one can fit the role of fairy godmother better than you," Sakura, the younger one of the two, laughed at her chagrined expression.

"Quit it, kid."

"So, my worries you asked. Take me to the ball and give me the finest of the gowns in the country to wear. I want to bedazzle my Sasuke,"

Shina cocked a brow at her request. "What makes you think your prince is this...Sasuke?"

"No one in the land is as charming as that man," was Sakura's confident reply. The white-haired fairy smiled a smile that told her she was wrong but she allowed her to get away with it.

"If you think so."

"What does that mean?" Sakura narrowed her eyes, brows furrowed quizzically. She only received an impassive shrug in response.

"you..." she wanted to say something but decided otherwise. She needed to get to the ball soon and return before the clock strikes 12. "Anyway, give me the dress and arrange a carriage! I'm late already,"

"You know how Cinderella goes," Shina passed a subtle wink. "Watch for the midnight, princess."

"I will." Sakura nodded with a grin. The best part of the fairy tale begins from here. She felt giddy with excitement. She wanted to run, to shout, to tell everyone what was going to happen...but she had to wait. Excitement gushed inside her as her fairy godmother chanted the magic words and twinkling lights surrounded the area out of nothingness.

Put them together and what have you got Magic is real, believe it or not, But it's the precious wand that does the job Now you put them together and what have you got

Sakura just had a good feeling about the night, nothing that felt this right could possibly go wrong. It just couldn't.

"Well...even basic teleportation do a job," Sakura supposed when she looked at her surroundings and what caught her attention was the main building itself. Now that she took a closer inspection, she could see that the towering structures around her were made of crystal. She knew the fact from the story books but seeing it in person was an experience she would never forget. It seemed to grow right out of the ground like a glacier and it reflected the light like many shards of glass under the pale glow of artificial lighting that bound the building. The strong scent in the air was a dead giveaway of her location. A garden or, she looked at the bushes where the lantern post was casting its light, a white rose garden.

Shina directly teleported her to the castle. When she had said to take her to the ball, she had meant through some transportation. While it reminded her of her good shinobi days, a carriage would have been more appropriate to bring out magical, princessy feels.

There was one more concern, still.

"How will I return if there's no carriage?" she contemplated. She shifted her weight to her other leg when she realized the weight on her body.

When Sakura glanced down, she bit back her gasp. The dress that shrouded her body was the most beautiful ball gowns she has ever seen. The creamy sheets of the red silk left her shoulders bare but wrapped off-the-shoulder sleeves accentuated her lean arms. Her fingers were delicately covered under white opera gloves with gold patterns she had seen many times now. When she moved, she felt the weight of her dress. It was a floor-length silken dress that flared around her, beautifully flattering her lean form.

Her hand reached to graze at her pink hair and she instantly knew she looked like a princess herself. Her hair bun felt beautiful under the pads of her fingers, surely it looked as well. There was no embellishment on her hair.

She wanted to look at herself so badly.

"It's way better than Ino's," Sakura giggled as made the comparison. With her lovely sisters around she doubted she'd have many benefits of gaining prince's attention, but the dress was loud even if for only a few moments. Shinobi are taught her to never let an opportunity go wasted.

Once she was done gushing over her beauty, she began to roam around the garden, set to find an exit. Sakura had an hour or two at maximum, and while it was definitely not enough to make a man fall in love with someone like her, she would try. First, she needed to reach the ballroom and then she would devise a plan.

"There should be a guard around here..." she mumbled to herself as she crossed the maze of the rose garden and found an opening that led to what appeared like a resting area. It looked like something straight out of a fairytale, which it was.

There was a fountain in the middle of the space. The sculpture of a bird was set on pedestal amid the water of the fountain. She neared it and leaned over to gaze at her reflection. A complete stranger looked back at her. It was only her, yet it wasn't. Her rosy eyeshadow brought out the color of her eyes and her locks framed her face in a right way.

Sakura didn't know if she could ever look any better than this. She was so lost in her internal debate that she missed the closing footsteps of another presence.

"Hey," it was when she felt a breath hit her neck that she recoiled in surprise. In the hastiness that she turned, she lost her footing when her calf hit the back of the basin.

 _No-no-no! this can't be happening_ , she thought, panicked to bones, eyes shut closed. When her body tipped over, ready to take a leap into the waters that would ruin her night completely, she indefinitely decided to cease wearing stilettos. She feared for many things at that one second, that was until a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her out of her despair.

A distinct cologne hit her like a wave when she flushed against a body that belonged to a man. He smelled of fireworks and a tincture of gunpowder, a smell that took her back to every bonfire night she went to as a child. She softly inhaled the scent, trying to inscribe it to her memory.

"My, my," A smooth, honeyed chuckle caressed her ears like soft silk. Whoever the stranger was, he had one hell of a husky voice. "Wouldn't that have been a nasty fall, yeah?"

Sakura stilled when his one hand rested at the small of her back. It was then that he stepped back to give her actual air to breathe in and not in his natural scent. Sakura felt her ears burn when he let out another chuckle when he saw her face. She probably looked shaken and...well, embarrassed.

"Are you lost, miss?" the stranger joked. She didn't need to look to know the man was amused at her and knew she was lost if he had been here for quite some time.

She didn't reply and he continued.

"If it's ballroom you're looking for, it is that way."

She heard ruffle of his clothes and dared open her eyes to quickly look at the direction he was pointing at without having to look at the stranger himself.

"Where?"

Behind her, she heard him cackle when she turned. She realized why when she found herself facing the bird on the fountain.

Sakura closed her gaping mouth and gently closed her eyes to calm her nerves. She could feel the heat growing in her cheeks. By now they must be beyond an attractive rosiness.

He was toying with her.

"Have you enjoyed enough, mister?" Sakura sighed irritably. Then she finally turned back to him and opened her eyes. She saw blue; Naruto's jovial blue and more. The complexion of his skin complemented his ocean-like eyes. His lustrous, flaxen hair dripped over his right shoulder like honey, bouned in a loose braid. A beautiful face. Well defined, with a sharp jaw and angular cheekbones. He had the kind of face that would stop you in your tracks. The man, taller than her by a head, towered over her.

And although his handsome look should have made butterflies flutter in her stomach, she only felt it drop into the abyss. The dread crept over her, numbing her brain. In her frozen state, only one thought hit her like kunai through her heart.

"Have you?" he asked back and the left side of his faint red lip tugged upwards creating a sinister smirk on his god-like face. He was referring to the once over she gave him without knowing. His light grip on her back became more prominent and she felt the heat of his touch soaking through her dress.

Blood flow seemed to die at her throat as her whole face paled at his implication.

Why in the world did she happen to cross paths with an Akatsuki member? Not just any member but that one partner of the man whose heart she crushed with her own hands.

Iwa no Deidara.

* * *

 **TBC in part 2**

* * *

 **AN:** I realized retelling a fairytale was better said than done. Also, I had participated in speech competition at college so that's why the update saw a delay. The first story is Cinderella! Let's assume Sakura haven't met Karin in the real world yet.  
Does that mean Deidara is the prince charming? stay tuned for next episode.  
I hope you like it.

Thanks for all your support!


	3. Chapter 2

_If the Shoe fits... Its where your Cinderella Story ends._

* * *

If he recognized the look of horror in her visage, he didn't comment and only waited for her response _ **.**_

Sakura carefully schooled her expression and wondered – does he remember anything about their kind of relationship which involved heavily relied on kill-on-sight? Was he dragged into this world like her, if not then why was he part of this world anyway when they have barely interacted and it was during the day of the demise of his partner whom she killed?

Trepidation grew but nothing happened.

"I'm...lost. Can you help me with the directions?" She had better things to do than wonder about an Akatsuki member having a part in a fairy tale that involved him donning aristocratic robes and playing a charming stranger in such a questionable place. She was lost, that was valid; why was he here?

"That could be arranged, Miss. How did a young lady as lovely as you end up in this part of palace anyway?" But of course, he'd question her instead of lending support. He was an exceptionally crazy rouge ninja back in her world, and maybe an equally wary and flirtatious soldier on patrol here.

She opened her mouth to reply an excuse when he continued, "And your identity, as well?"

She ignored the vein that throbbed horribly on her head. Stay calm. You have only one job and that did not involve bashing side characters.

"Of course, I'm from the..." She trailed off, blinking – Hatake? Haruno? Whom does she belong to? – and deciding to gamble anyway, she continued, masking her hesitation behind a cough when his eyes narrowed, "...the estate, Haruno."

She smiled when he tilted his head to his side like she was a puzzle he was attempting to solve; better luck next time, blondie.

"Haruno, and not Hatake?" She barely saved herself from cringing– Hatake Sakura was such a ridiculous title.

"Yes, one ordered under Mebuki. I work there," He nodded after a moment when something akin to understanding crossed his eyes.

Understood what, she didn't know and found herself unable to care.

She nodded back, uneasy under his impaling gaze that reminded her so much of blue skies, blue of the ocean, and of _Naruto._

"I'm here for the ball... And I lost my way..." absently wondering how she could have lost her way if her escort had dropped her at the front gates. Deidara must have been thinking same along those lines as he opened his mouth to enquire when she hastily finished, "the gardens, they are truly captivating."

A dramatic smile instantly lifted his face. Like a proud owner.

"I better be on my way. Can you...guide me the way to the hall?" He watched her expectedly as if he was waiting for something, and it took all her pride to utter a small, "please", at the end to complete her request. She could draw the parallels between her world's Deidara and this man before her. Both have arrogance flowing in their veins instead of blood.

She had to will her hands from decking him when he stepped up close and whirled her around like they were dancing, placing his hands on her shoulders, his touch light yet flirty, as he whispered directions against her ears like it was their secret.

He obviously has a blatant disregard towards invading personal spaces of innocent ladies who get lost on their way to a public event involving them winning a prince over.

Maybe not so innocent...but whatever.

When he was done, she wasn't sorry for elbowing him against what he was sure were his ribs. Apparently, he was dignified enough to not let the pain affect his outward person. His eyes, however, betrayed his irritation and something akin to triumph shone in her own.

"Jerk," She hissed, loud enough for it to be heard, and quickly sauntered away, intent on making it to the ball on time.

"Now, now, miss, no need for such haste," she heard him yell behind her, amusement in his voice. "The dance wouldn't begin without you,"

She decided he was weird even in this world.

 **...**

It wasn't hard to reach the ballroom after all. She had begrudgingly followed the directions that Deidara had told – whispered into her ears urgh – her before, ignoring that the more prideful part of her that insisted that she rely on her ninja instincts instead. But thankfully she didn't have to follow all through his directions, the harmony of the grand orchestra did their job – she heard the music before she had even turned up before the imposing grand doors that lead into the ballroom.

The dancing had yet to begin, but the place remained festive. She recalled from some book back home that dance was commenced by the prince and his chosen partner, the rest following his lead.

To the one side of the large ballroom, and from where she stood, she could see a whole buffet set. The smell of exotic food mixed with slight floral fragrance in the air, the cuisine was something she was unfamiliar with and seemed to beckon her. But no, she can't. Knowing her, she would stuff herself in food so much that it would jeopardize her intention to remain to look flattering in the dress later. She mentally pledged to taste test them after she was done seducing the prince.

Sakura tore her eyes away from where the food lined up and the people who helped themselves without a care in the world, instead choosing to look for the prince. She didn't look how he looked but she had a picture– someone dark with one-of-a-kind eyes.

She also had to bit back the smirk that threatened to break loose. She wasn't ignorant of the looks of longing and awe that was passed her way when she made her entrance; even she thought she looked amazing in her new clothes. Ino-pig would have been so proud of her right now if she was here to witness this moment.

The attention she drew in made her feel more confident about the success rate of the current mission. It would be a cake-walk if the prince turned out to be a flirty chauvinist. Even if that meant she was forced to maintain extreme self-control from bashing his head into the nearest pole. Or kick his pole.

It was excessively easy to spot the king. Modelling a brilliant crown, the symbol of the highest ranking in the kingdom, lined with gold and jewels that had forced eyes to glance his way and made aware of his presence, he sat high on his throne, above them all, observing with a cool look on his seasoned face. Beside him, flanked along his two sides, stood two men who, judging from the hilt of the swords on their hips and the armour they had worn, were his trusted knights. He looked really familiar to her for some reason– his stout figure, red nose and weird eyebrows– that was when the realization dawned on her, oh yes, he was Iwa's previous Tsuchikage that she has seen in one of the delegate meetings she attended with her mentor.

Sakura's sharp eyes allowed her a good view of the exasperated and worried looks the knights passed each other and the irritated look that the king maintained.

Strange; was something up? They weren't exchanging words so she was unable to read their lips and discern the situation.

She continued watching them from under her eyelashes under the pretence that she was only enjoying her drink, a really expensive wine, which she had grabbed from one of the servers who passed by her earlier.

Suddenly she saw the king's eye lit, almost missing one of the knight's lips, reading– _he has returned,_ _Yo_ _ur_ _M_ _ajesty_ – and she realised who they were speaking of and what had gotten them tensed.

 _The prince was here._

As soon as the thought struck her mind, she saw the king turn his attention to where she stood and their eyes met. She held his gaze and passed a smile when the silence in the room finally hit her with full force and the passing glances that had now evolved into blatant staring, one that didn't hide their shock and awe.

What? Why were they looking at me like that? Was something on her face?

"I see you've made it here without getting lost again, Miss. I didn't think you would have paid attention to what I had said, let alone follow, yeah." She blinked, confusion clouding her mind too much to have caught the words.

Sakura almost jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Almost. Someone managed to sneak up on her and she called herself a ninja. Shame rose on her cheeks but pretending to be unaffected, she twirled around with a polite smile stretched on her face.

"What, is something the...matt...er...?" Her smile dropped in the blink of when she saw who it was. "Oh, it's just you." Her tone bored.

That 'too-arrogant-for-my-own-good' smile from before was still fixed on his lips and he remained unaffected by her cool attitude, despite the slight irritation and something else she found in his eyes. He was wearing the same garbs from before, except for the additional coat that rested on his shoulders. It was similar to the one she had seen the king wear, except it was red and this was blue.

"Is there something you needed, Sir?" She made sure he feel her irritation in her voice and just heed to her wish to be left alone.

He got the message but he was also a cocky bastard so–

"Still as sweet as ever, Miss." He replied, his brilliant blue eyes laughing at a joke that only he understood. She frowned at the subtle flirtation.

"You flatter me," her voice conveyed anything but.

"Nothing that you don't deserve. I was under the impression that you had come for the dance." She raised a brow. Of course, she was only here for that but how does that concern him. And, glancing around them, noticing the curious looks they were attracting, she didn't understand why people seemed so interested in listening in to their conversation.

She didn't reply and just shrugged, because she couldn't bring herself to act like a polite, respectful lady before him; and she really was trying.

"Seeking the prince, for a dance with him, yeah?" Sakura felt a brow twitch in annoyance and resisted to glare at him. Is this an interrogation? Did they have to do that in front of the crowd? The blonde-haired man still stood straight, patiently waiting, which also seemed so out of his character. He seemed so impulsive and bad-mouthed in her world.

"Have you found him yet? I told you dance wouldn't begin without you." Her eyes narrowed at him. She was getting an idea about what he was trying to imply.

"Or is it that you don't know who he is or how he is like?" He continued on, not caring for her lack of reply.

But then again, maybe it had to do with how he was finding the situation so entertaining and fun that he chose to nag her here as well. The thought that she was somehow the source of his amusement didn't hell quell her resentment for the man, no matter his pretty-boy looks.

The 'know-it-all' tone and tease in his voice soured her mood.

Her response left many in gasps.

"Are we playing, state-the-obvious, here? Because, if we are, I'm sorry to spoil your fun, Mister, but I'm not in the mood for the games. Next time...perhaps?" She tried to politely edge away from him when something caught her eye and upon closer look, her breath.

The symbol. The Royal family insignia.

What. The. Fuck.

"W...what?" Her shock was written all over the face when she turned to meet his eyes because she saw his smile widen into a grin like a cat that caught the mouse. Everything suddenly clicked – why she amused him so much, why he was teasing her before, and why he was shaking like he was a second away from bursting into laughter.

She took a step back, her eyes wide and mouth agape.

He was here because he was the prince.

People were staring because he was the prince.

People were in shock because... she was disrespectful to the prince, in his party, hosted in his house, in his kingdom.

And the prince was...her enemy, Deidara.

Blood rose to her face like a flood, exuding heat like a fire hydrant, she had no doubts that she looked like a giant tomato too. Oh, fucks. She was screwed. Her mission failed. She can see it now, Cinderella having her happily ever after behind the bar, and that Cinderella was her.

He opened his mouth to say something but she cut in, oncoming tears blurring his image, her humiliation overriding her sense of preservation.

"I-I-I will leave!"

She twirled and took off running at a speed that surprised those she passed by. She expected him to yank her back, or signal his soldiers to grab her or tell his attendees to block her, but nobody tried anything. She didn't know why, nor she wanted to know.

What she didn't know was, if she had glanced back, she would have seen Deidara, her sworn enemy back from her world, signal his soldiers against going after her.

 **...**

Sakura took off from the ballroom and down the hallway. The guards standing by the doors had looked surprised when she stepped out of the room with tears in her eyes and probably, out of sympathy, didn't follow after her when she wandered off to somewhere, possibly guessing washrooms.

The orchestra resumed playing from where they had left. It was like her absence made no difference. Of course. A bitter smile engaged her lips.

She didn't know where she was heading but she kept walking. There was no particular destination in her mind– ballroom was her only. She didn't have a backup for a situation like this – hadn't even considered a situation like this happening.

Besides, there was no way she could have considered it– Deidara as the prince she was to fall in love with tonight.

Her plan was idealistic, but one valid since it was a fairytale, which went like this: her attending the ball, approaching the prince in attendance, charming him with her wits and beauty, him asking her out for a dance, them dancing, the clock strikes 12, she leaves her shoe as the only reminder of her existence, kissing him for extra measure, him turning the kingdom up and down in search for her, and finally rubbing her victory in the faces of her family.

But it was ruined; the perfect ending. Now she will never be able to woo the most unlikely prince and would have to return back home where she will be forced into slavery for waltzing in and out of the ball as she did. Her mother will make sure of it. Ino and Karin will torture her to death. Her life will be hell...

Unless she becomes a rogue. She could survive that, living the life of the little pink riding hood in the middle of the woods.

"I'm such a fool..." She muttered to herself, rubbing on her tear-stained cheeks absently.

Looking around, she realized she had come a long way from the ballroom. The silence in the place was almost eerie considering there was a loud orchestra playing just a few hallways away. The corridor was deserted, probably in favour of the guards being placed in and around the parameters of the ballroom. She wondered about the palace's security system and how it could easily be threatened. Shaking her head, she noted how there were not many cabins in the corridor she was currently walking down in comparison to the one where the ballroom was located. Also, the interior design was different – having more modern designs decorating the ceiling with more blues and whites to them.

Something about this place seemed almost... _private._

She rounded the corridor and found only a single room to her opposite, at the end of the hallway, which further continued on in the opposite directions.

Sakura quietly walked down the passage and would have ignored the room if her attention wasn't captured by the sound of something tumbling. She stiffened.

An intruder? A thief? A servant? Falling easily into her position as seasoned spy and assassin, she tiptoed towards the door and grabbed the handle. Bracing herself, eyes sharp and her other hand ready to punch down anything that so much as come at her, she pushed the door wide open.

"STOP WHERE YOU A– eek!"

"Meow!" She belatedly dodged as a snow-white cat lunged at her with malicious intent to dislocate her ears from her head. She sidestepped and felt its sharp claws scrap her cheeks, drawing blood.

"Fuck!" She stepped inside the room and quickly shut the door when the cat made a move to actively attack her again. She wasn't surprised by its attempts. Cats back home didn't like her too. She heard faint scratching against the door and drew in a breath.

The faint wetness against her cheeks drew her attention and she quickly reached for her chakra...until she realized she didn't have any.

She signed. A little blood loss wouldn't matter much anyway.

Looking around the dimly lit room, she was able to make out some silhouettes, frames lying around and decorating the walls. The smell of paint and clay was thick in the air; not unlike how Sai's house smelled. This was definitely a painter's cabin. More she looked, more her eyes adjusted in the darkness; she was able to tell the dark figures were actually sculptures.

"Wow..." Really beautiful and detailed sculptures. She touched the bird, her finger pads tracing and feeling the minute details of the still figure. The artist must be really talented to be able to make this.

She leant and took a deep breath. Definitely clay.

Clay figures... And paintings. She looked at the incomplete drawing near where she stood. It was a painting of – she tilted her head as she observed – the ocean. Her brows drew in and mouth drew thin as she continued observing the painting. She was seeing the ocean, but...it also appeared like she was seeing something else at the same time.

"...but still, wow." She seemed to have run out of words to express what she was seeing.

Something drew her eyes– a photograph. She picked it up from the table where all the art supplies were scattered haphazardly. It was a picture of a family of three. It was the kid sitting on the woman's lap that left her gaping– Deidara. She blinked and then looked at the woman, or her eyes specifically.

Her eyes widened in understanding and she looked at the painting with renewed interest.

"Do you not know you shouldn't poke your nose where it doesn't belong, yeah, Miss?"

A hand snatched the picture from her grasp. She had somehow gotten accustomed to that rough, deep edge in his voice so she didn't start or even found herself growing irritated. When wheeled around to face him, she shot him her most thoughtful look when it should have been instead an ashamed blush against his harsh, condemning glare.

It was the first time in their entire interaction that he glared at her; one that seemed to pulse in rage.

But Sakura was also someone who had mastered the art of discerning glares, courtesy of the human-ice-block Sasuke, so no amount of intense coldslashheated glares was going to affect her.

"It's your mother, isn't it? This painting– it is her eyes!" His eyes widened and he stilled. In his distracted state, she stepped forward and yanked the picture back. Turning back around, she compared the picture and the painting.

A proud smile lit her face.

"The picture is taken by the shore. You've painted her eyes...and in her eyes, the ocean. She must have really loved the ocean, huh?" She passed a compassionate smile over her shoulder.

"You must really be missing her..." Her voice was very soft but with distance so thin between them, she knew he couldn't have missed it.

Her observation must have unsettled him so much because the next thing she knew, she was shoved against the table. Her eyes widened when she saw him – his lips drew back in a snarl and eyes clouded in rage and sadness.

She should have feared him – he was her enemy in other world and even without his chakra, he could overpower her if she didn't punch him first. But she didn't feel threatened even if everything about him screamed that she run, fast.

"You are forgetting your place, bitch. This is my place, _my territory!_ Don't let it get to your head; just because I didn't send guards after you doesn't mean you're any more special than any other women I've met– and don't think you have fooled me, you wanted power, just like rest of them, didn't you?" He brought his face closer, their faces only separated by a hairsbreadth, their breaths blending in the small space that divided them. But his grin, that crazy grin was one she recognized with the one back home. "You were trying to steal information, weren't you?"

Her breath hitched.

"What are you –"

"Shut up! Stop pretending and don't give me that look!" She felt something wet drop over her wound. She blinked, mouth parted. "Your plan was flawed from the very start– there wouldn't have been any ball if there was never a prince to commence the dance anyway. I wouldn't have wanted this ball to happen– it wasn't my choice in the first place. I only wanted ever a gateway!"

Something clicked – God, she was so slow for someone so smart – finding Deidara so far away from the ballroom in the garden without a guard on the scout. She suddenly remembered his proud grin. His garden. King's irritated look and the knight's worry, it was because they were afraid whether or not Deidara would show up at the scene. He did not want to marry.

Then why did he show up?

"Why...why did you..." Her words died in her mouth.

"What do you think?" The hostility in his voice and the raw pain in the blue of his eyes left her feeling so, so guilty.

She didn't – couldn't – say anything and just drew in a shaky breath, realising she was holding back her breath.

"And you wandered into here, of all places. _Are you mocking me, yeah_?" He was so unstable at the moment and he was reminding her so much of the man back home. "Whatever you came to accomplish here, well, failed so get your little scrawny ass out of here before I call the guards."

It's strange how they turned from being strangers who bantered and teased, into something so raw and real like this. She felt no magic in this; whatever this was. Was this seriously even a Cinderella story anymore?

He wasn't holding her hands so she had all openings to push him away and get the fuck out as he had so nicely put. But...wasn't that what he expected her to do? If she did run, wouldn't that become a confirmation that he was right?

Liar. Manipulative wench. A bitch who only wanted money. He who didn't want to marry and was still in pain over the loss of his mother.

"I wouldn't." She said, her voice clear and unrelenting.

His eyes seemed to grow dark as he pushed her harder against the table, knocking off the bird sculpture she had admired earlier but he didn't even so much as pass a glance at its direction. She couldn't bring herself to care either, a person of his genius probably can make another in no time.

"What?!" He snarled at her, his expression sharing parallels with the Akatsuki member who was the bringer of mayhem, the crazy explosion artist, the one who brought down Suna overnight, an international criminal.

"Are you hard of hearing? I said I wouldn't go. I wouldn't leave this room." But none of the parallels he shared with the explosion artist mattered at that moment. She wanted a happy ending; he wanted a happy ending.

So she had a plan.

He opened his mouth to call the guards – but she pushed him off her so hard that it knocked his breath, with or without chakra she was still strong, and utilized the time to her advantage to pin him on the ground. She probably looked horrible with her hair sticking at all directions, blood caking her cheeks and paint staining her dress from the back. He looked up at her, alarm written all over his face. He made no move to push her away though. A smirk of sorts danced on her lips for a heartbeat.

She figured it out; everything.

Cinderella wasn't chosen that night because she looked the prettiest but because prince realized she was the kindest. Good for them; kindness came naturally to her.

Deidara, the Prince Charming, needed someone who showed him kindness.

"Shut up. You listen to me here, jerk. Don't spout nonsense about me when I just saved your little sanctuary from getting destroyed by your stupid cat," he gaped, then sputtered and shook her hands off his arm to point at her face, looking positively offended. It was almost funny when his eyes looked so red.

"He's got a name, Lucifer!" She rolled her eyes. Oh yes, it was _so_ important right now.

"And for your information, I ended up here because I got lost, yes, again! But hey– you humiliated me there in front of everyone. You could have just told me in the garden that you're the prince and saved me all trouble. I'd have left!" She shouted at his face, rage simmering. Prince or not, nothing gave him the right to play with her.

"Why wouldn't you leave now, yeah?" He was growing frustrated.

"I don't know how many times people have approached you with money on the top of their mind, but don't shove your trust issues onto me!" Because that was so Sasuke-esque, and she was beginning to think it was out of her good luck that it wasn't Sasuke who ended up the prince. Only Naruto could play the role of Cinderella with him.

"I- I do not have trust issues, bitch! Get off of me dammit!" She again ignored him in favour of continuing her rant.

"I didn't know you were the prince. When I met you, my first impression was that you were a flirtatious man with a superiority complex. You irritated me a lot for some reason and because you have no sense of personal space," he shot her a look but she continued as though she wasn't currently straddling his hips, "but even if I had known it was you, my opinion wouldn't have changed. Even now, you're the same irritating man I met back in the garden this evening..." She trailed off and passed a glanced around the room.

"Except there's more; I now know how you're also an exceptional artist to boot," her eyes fixed on the painting of the blue eyes that reflected the ocean within. "And that you're also a crazy emotional guy." She turned back to look at him.

 **Ding. Ding. Ding.**

"I'm not emotional, yeah. You are." A very weak response, especially coming from him. His voice lacked the animosity.

"Right..." She made sure her word conveyed the underlying message ("I hope you don't want me to remind you how red your blue eyes look right now. It isn't the product of anger, I assure you.") and he seemed to have understood the hint because the said eyes narrowed in warning.

The sound of midnight chime resonated throughout the building but they didn't move an inch, keeping their eyes locked with equal spirit as though they were willing the other to give in first. Sakura remained in her place, even though she should be making a run for it about it now, as promised – as was the in the story, to leave the palace at midnight, perfect 12 – and she needed to get away from the prying eyes before her dress turned to rags.

And she probably would have left, had it been the original take of the fairy tale, had she wasn't writing her own fairy tale.

"And you know what crossed my mind when I realized it was _you_ who drew that..." She angled her head towards the painting, a ghost of a smile at her lips but for eyes dark in sadness. The entire situation reminded her so much of Sai and Sasuke that it stung her heart. Deidara maintained his stony silence even as his eyes stared like they were searching for something.

" _What a shame._ " The bonds holding his facial muscles loosened but she wasn't done.

" _Your mother_ would have loved to see you become an _artist_." His eyes widened and she heard him take deep breaths.

"W-what the hell, yeah? You're crazy, Miss..." He held a hand up to his face. Even as tears rolled by along the side of his face, he remained still.

The corners of her mouth lift up into a smile and it hurt because of the cut on her cheek but she didn't care. His mouth twitched, and she was pretty sure he was fighting a smile. Even though it hadn't become a smile just yet, it was enough to send an unexpected rush of warmth through her.

"Your Highness!" Sakura started when someone knocked at the door. She glanced back, smile gone and eyes stone before she turned back to his shielded, tear-stained face. A defeated smile lifted her lips.

Glancing down at her robes, Sakura resisted to sigh; her gorgeous gown had poofed out of existence, leaving in its place the same dirty old rags she had donned before having met her fairy godmother. _Guess_ _all magic lasted only until midnight chime_ ; shaking off her disappointment, she made a move to get up when she realized she still had her glass shoes on.

 _Just like in the story._

Another knock, another call – this time more frantic.

A thought occurred to her.

"Here, I want you to have one of these." She placed one of the glass slippers beside his face. "I hope when you look at them, you'd remember me and know that I wasn't using you, that not the entire humanity is after your money..." She paused to choose right words,"...and that there's more to you than just a title."

With that, she got up and staggered her way to the closed door only to realize that it was locked. He not only had sneaked up on her but also had locked the door without her notice; she really was a poor ninja it seemed. She glanced back at the supine form of the blonde-haired prince whom she seemed hell-bent on hating a few hours ago.

"Um...deidara?" She whispered but he showed no signs of response. She began to walk over to him when –

"Yes, I'm here. What is it?" He responded loudly from his position.

The knocking stopping abruptly. Then carefully,

"Your Highness, Your Majesty has requested your presence to join him for dinner."

Sakura turned her attention back to the prince. He took his time to decide, as if weighing his options, before –

"Let my father know that I'll join him shortly and also make that dinner for three."

"Yes, Your Highness. Is there anything else I can do?"

"Yes, inform him of this special someone I want him to meet. I've come to a decision." Her jaw went slack.

"Of course, Your Highness." There was a ruffle of clothes she heard and then the sound of retreating footfalls that filled the silence of the room. He didn't speak after that so she had to.

"Why?" Her voice so soft but in the silence of the room, it was hard to miss.

"Why what?" His reply was one of exhaustion and building annoyance.

"Why did you...not give me away?" It took her a while to choose the right words. She could have asked why he wanted to introduce her to his father but then she could've risked being laughed at.

"Like I said, you're one crazy woman..."

He sat up from his lying position, groaning and massaging his head when he did, the dishevelled look of hair that cascaded down his chest in loose waves made a picture that caused her stomach to emit strange warmth. He didn't look immediately at her and she was glad he didn't because it just wouldn't do her image if she was caught red and bothered; his gaze wandered to fix upon the incomplete painting that in her opinion looked so complete and true.

Meanwhile, as she busied herself to school her stupid expression and emotions, his eyes crinkled around the corners as he took in the painting, his lips quirked up in a way that seemed to require so much effort. It was one of those kinds of smiles that brought back a rush of memories. She studied him for a moment before a dreamy smile met her lips.

He _kind of_ fit the role of prince charming after all.

He suddenly turned to her with a new look in his eyes and Sakura found herself waiting in bated breath. She was not warming up to this guy– it was just his pretty-boy looks getting her nerves worked up, she told herself. But nothing prepared her to what was coming–

"I have decided I love crazy." He grinned at her; cheeky.

She absolutely loathed those clicheslashcheesy lines, but feeling the searing heat of imaginary flames setting her face ablaze, she thought maybe she could make an exception for him, after all, he was _her prince charming_ _._

He noticed her change of clothes as his eyes dropped down from her face but for whatever reason he chose not to comment. Reaching over, he picked up the pair of the glass shoe she intended to leave for him, inspecting it closely as he rose to his feet.

"Seems precious, yeah, but I'm afraid I wouldn't ever require a material to remember you." His eyes took on a playful look. "This belongs to you, Miss..." Realization dawned on him – his blue eyes widened – he didn't actually know her name.

He walked over to her; her features as obscured by the darkness as were his. She looked up at him, still donned in rags that he had never seen her in before, but somehow he looked past it all and reached his hand over the strand of hair that had escaped the clutches of the bun and pushed it gently behind her ear. In their wake, his fingers traced the cut left behind by Lucifer, the cat. Something probably came to his mind because he suddenly had made that infuriating laughing eyes at her – an inside joke of sorts for him.

"May I?" His amusement was starting to become infectious.

Deidara got on his knee and she saw the parallels shared in the original story and the scene before her. A strange excitement of sorts sent a shiver down her spine; she watched, breath held, and hands sweaty. He gently guided her left feet into the glass slipper which was a perfect fit and allowed her to stand straighter, now sporting identical sandals. A strange feeling – one similar to how she felt as being the lovely girl she was until around fifteen minutes ago – set in her gut. She was quick enough to put two and two together this time.

"Sakura. My name is Sakura Haruno, Your Highness." She announced in the silence of the room.

Deidara probably had a lot to say – like how unoriginal the name was, how it was actually his first guess, the lack of creativity it upholds, and several more that he could and would say – but she didn't bestow him that luxury, instead, she pulled him to her, yanking hard on his coat and dove headfirst into a kiss that blew the world away, quite literally.

 **...**

"Now, _that_ wasn't so hard, was it?"

" _Shut up_ _, Shina_."

Meanwhile, her stomach rumbled in hunger, not at all helping her emotional health by reminding her of the missed opportunity of tasting exotic, gourmet food.

 **...**

 **Took me a while to update, yes, I know. That's why I present you this extra-long** **chapter** **that I have completed in one sitting.**

 **I hope you'll enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **Please check out my other Sakura story – Just A Memory** **. It's a multi-chaptered time-travel story told in the perspective of the characters Sakura interacts with.**


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